Avatar: The Way of Water: These Unbelievably Good Fujinon APS-C Lenses were Used to Film Large Parts of the Movie

After this article, tons of Forum heroes and YouTubers will cancel their ticket for Avatar: The Way of Water.

Why?

Because once they find out that important parts of the movie where shot using the totally unprofessional APS-C format (Super35 cameras) in combination with not crazy fast Fujinon APS-C zoom lenses, they will know that this movie must be a technical disaster, and they’ll rather invest their precious time into creating Full Frame f/1.2 masterpieces in their basements.

But there will be those, who will watch the movie anyway. And today’s story is for them.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER director of photography Russell Carpenter talks with Go Creative Show host Ben Consoli about the making of the film and using the custom-made 3D Sony Venice [also used with Sony Rialto Camera Extension System] – video below.

At some point they talk about which lenses they used for the movie, and here is where the praises for these prosumer Fujinon APS-C lens start.

Everything was done to get it as light as we could.

We didn’t need to work with a Full Frame sensor, that would require very big lenses. We wanted to work with zooms so we didn’t have to change lenses all the time.

We did a lot of testing and research, and we ended up with these prosumer Fujinon lenses made by Fujifilm [the Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 and the Fujinon MK 50-135mm T2.9].  Each one is about 2.2 pounds and about 8 inches long, which is ideal for being on a rig.

The amazing thing about these lenses when we tested them, was that even though they were not as fast, at their wide open aperture of f/2.9 they were super super sharp. We thought we did something wrong with our test as they were as sharp as lenses that cost 10 times more.

We shot 90% of the movie on the MK18-55mm T2.9. In the world of 3D you get much more sense of depth if you shoot wider.

Russell Carpenter literally says they shot 90% of the movie using the Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9, but my guess is that he refers to the underwater scenes in the movie, although he did not specify that. He just said “movie” not “underwater parts of the movie“.

So, not only the backstage images of Avatar were taken with Fujifilm gear (as we reported here), but also the movie itself was shot using Fujifilm APS-C gear!

You can watch the podcast in the youtube video down below (automatically starts on the part where they talk about the Fujinon lenses).

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Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Compatibility List with Fujifilm X Cameras

The Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD has just been announced.

We have it covered its launch here.

But here is one important thing that should not pass unnoticed: the official list of supported Fujifilm cameras, hence I will share it now in a dedicated article.

The Fujifilm cameras compatible with the new Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD are:

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CineD and Gerald Undone About Excellent Lab Test Results of Fujifilm X-H2S and Fujifilm’s Strategic Advantage over Sony and Canon

CineD and Gerald Undone recently published a video where they talk about how they make their lab tests.

It’s a one hour video I invite you to look in its entirety.

What I will highlight are 6 minutes towards the end of the video where they talk about the excellent test results of the Fujifilm X-H2S (starts minute 48:35).

They talk about how different and pleasing noise actually looks on the Fujifilm X-H2S (not the first to say this and actually that’s a peculiarity of X-Trans sensors, I mean the more film-like grain at high ISO and the less color noise).

So it seems that when Fujifilm advertises the X-H2S as having 14+ stops of video dynamic range, they are totally honest about it. In CineD tests, it beats even the full frame Sony A1.

But even more importantly, if you want to get rid of noise, for some “secret language” reason (as Gerald would call it), it seems that at least noise reduction applied in post is able to clean up noise with an ease he has never seen before.

Also, CineD mentions a strategic advantage Fujifilm has over Sony and Canon. Which one? You’ll find the answer in the short summary down below.

Summary

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“Sony A7IV will Always Have a Special Place in My Heart, But I am Selling All my Sony Gear for Fujifilm X-H2S” and Here is Why

Maybe you have noticed that lately we tried to highlight also reviews from smaller youtube channels, along with the usual big ones.

Now, I won’t enter the discussion on why it seems that at least some of the big channels have a conflictual relationship with the Fujifilm managment, leading them to either ignore Fujifilm cameras (some never reported about the launch of the X-H2S) or to review Fuji gear… how can I say that… to review it not with the same care as they do with other brands.

But that’s not the article, where we want to talk about it.

What you need to know now is: we will keep covering the reviews of huge channels (in case they cover Fujfiilm, but highlight when they make errors like here and here), but also highlight smaller channels every now and then.

Small channels might not have the best studios, lights and audio, but they are often run by truely passionate photographers, who probably shoot more pictures with their gear out on the field than many of the huge channels combined. So their opinion, at least in my eyes, has just the same value the one of massive youtube channel.

So today we talk about TC, who owns the Sony A7IV and lots of lenses, but after his comparison with the Fujifilm X-H2S, he decided to sold off his entire Sony full frame kit. If you want to know why, you can find the video below as well as a summary.

Why are You Scared of PSAM? ;)

Before we go ahead, just a little consideration of myself. Why are you scared of PSAM?

Look, TC switched back to Fujifilm among the others because it has a PSAM dial and he loves it. So now we have a former Sony shooter coming back to the Fujifilm camp thanks to the Fujifilm X-H2S.

And isn’t that what we want? And what Fuji needs? More people shooting with their gear?

What damage does it do to us retro lovers?

Fujifilm has basically already said that there will be a Fujifilm X-T5, X-E5, X-T40, X-Pro4, X100V successor… and all of them with the retro feel we all love. That’s plenty of options that will continue to exist for us.

And now let’s see what motivated TC to sell all his Sony gear to switch to Fujifilm.

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Voigtländer MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm f/2 for Fujifilm X Announced

Cosina just announced the Voigtländer MACRO APO-ULTRON 35mm f/2 for Fujifilm X.

Just like the Voigtländer NOKTON 23mm F1.2 X and the Voigtländer NOKTON 35mm F1.2 X it is a manual focus lens, but with electronic contacts so it can communicate with the camera.

Press Release

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Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Compatibility List with Fujifilm X Cameras

The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 has just been announced.

We have it covered in previous articles:

But here is one important thing that should not pass unnoticed: the official list of supported Fujifilm cameras.

So I think it is worth to highlight them in its own article. Accroding to Tamron, the new Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 will work fine with the following Fujifilm cameras (see below):

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Top Gun Maverick: How Fujinon Lenses Helped to Film it without “Green Screen Nonsense”

We know that Hollywood loves Fujifilm.

Today we have a new entry on the list.

The latest Top Gun movie used a range of Fujinon cine lenses to capture acrobatic as well as low flying jets.

Claudio Miranda, ASC, the award-winning cinematographer behind “Top Gun: Maverick“, shares behind the scenes footage, stories from the set, and all the ins and outs of selecting and working with the gear used to create this history-making film.

GEAR LIST:

Camera

FUJINON Lenses:

Among the others, Claudio says.

This is not green screen nonsense. The whole point of the movie was “how much can we capture?” Top Gun is a movie about getting it in-camera. […] Some of the cameras were rigged in really impossible places. And all these things needed different kind of lens qualities.

I made a list of what can fit and have great range and still be IMAX-worthy.

Top Gun was more about long lenses, so we used the Premier 75-400mm T2.8-3.8 all over the place. […]

During the middle of the movie we actually had a chance to get a hold of the Premista 28-100mm T2.9. It was amazing. I wish we could have kept it but unfortunately it was only one in the world at the time. We loved the full frame aspect of it, it was sharp, it was straight, it was like you went to the wide end of the lens and there was no bowing, there was no barreling. One of the only full frame zooms I know that’s acutally decent enough to shoot with.

[…]

What I do love about the Fuji zooms, all of them, from the Premista to the Premiers, there is no oddball barrel distortion when you’re zooming, or there is no vignetting, there is no softening towards the edges, it’s all straight. .We just like how the Fujinon lens maintains its field of view througout  the zoom range. If you get a flare in the zoom, it does not fog the lens. It’s a beautiful zoom, the coatings are great.

Fujifilm X-H2 with 40MP: Do You Want it with X-Trans or Bayer CFA – VOTE NOW

If we combine what Fujifilm told us with the rumors we have shared, we can be sure that the 26MP stacked BSI Fujifilm X-H2S will have an X-Trans sensor.

But the question remains open, if the high resolution non-stacked 40MP Fujifilm X-H2 will have an X-Trans or Bayer sensor.

Now, both color filter arrays have their strengths and weaknesses. We have written about it more in detail here. In short we could sum it up like this:

  • Bayer Array: better for more features and less power hungry and less heat generation and less battery drain
  • X-Trans Array: better for image quality (sharper*, less color noise at high ISO**, more film-like grain etc)

What I would like to hear from you today is what you’d prefer. Hence, down below is a survey.

Feel free to drop your vote.

I hope the high resolution 40MP non-stacked Fujifilm X-H2 will have...

View Results

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* as documented by DPReview here
** as documented by admiringlight here

Pulitzer Prize Winner Ringo Chiu uses Fujifilm X Gear

Ringo Chiu won the Pulitzer prize 2021 as part of the awarded photography staff of Associated Press for a collection of photographs from multiple U.S. cities that cohesively captured the country’s response to the death of George Floyd.

Now NBC News just published a video about Ringo Chiu. In the interview, Ringo Chiu’s first sentence is “I just love photography” and then he goes on telling his story that brought him from China to USA and finally to win the Pulitzer prize.

So what has this to do with Fujifilm?

Well, photography lover Ringo, who grabbed one of the most prestigious awards for photojournalism on the planet, also shoots Fujifilm, as we can see multiple times during the video.

So let’s celebrate yet another Fujifilm X shooters who achieved great results thanks to his passion and talent for photography.

And yet, I am pretty sure that somewhere in a basement or fancy loft, a youtuber is already preparing a video with catchy headline declaring that the Fujifilm X system is no good for any professional use ;).

You can see the video above and check out Ringo Chiu’s work at his instagram here and website here. For the Pulitzer price photo series about the Black Live Matters coverage see this link.

Photography Awards

Hollywood Loves Fujifilm

& More

  • Fujifilm image makes the cover of the TIME magazine (story here)
  • Fujifilm images makes the front page of the Wall Street Journal (story here)
  • X gear is good enough for God’s work (story here)
  • X gear captured America’s most hated man (story here)
  • X gear distracted a French presidential candidate during his interview (story here)
image courtesy: Ringo Chiu - Taken on Fujifilm X-T2 with 10-24mm
image courtesy: Ringo Chiu – Taken on Fujifilm X-T2 with 10-24mm

Fujifilm X Shooter Magdalena Wasiczek Wins International Garden Photographer of the Year Award (XF80mmF2.8 Macro)

Fujifilm X shooters have won plenty of the most prestigious awards over the years using their X and GFX gear.

Not enough? Well, then know that photographers using Fujifilm cameras also…

  • won the world wildlife photography award (story here)
  • made the cover of the TIME magazine (story here)
  • won the World Photography Arts&Culture Award 2015 (story here)
  • won the First Prize of the World Press Photo Category “Stories (stroy here)
  • made the front page of the Wall Street Journal (story here)
  • were good enough for God’s work (story here)
  • captured America’s most hated man (story here)
  • distracted a French presidential candidate during his interview (story here)

One of the most recent entires in the awards list is the one of Fujifilm X shooter Magdalena Wasiczek, who won the International Garden Photographer of the Year Award (IGPOTY).

She used a Fujifilm X-T3 with the insanely sharp XF80mmF2.8 macro (a lens that I also own).

The judges write:

Magdalena has created this stunning, shimmering play on light, as she elevates this humble butterfly to the heavens. The magic of this capture is literally in the very air, with raindrops and macro lens used to great effect.

With this calibre of capture, it is easy to see why this will be her third overall IGPOTY win, and I offer her my congratulations for achieving this most amazing distinction.”

Congratz to Magdalena! You can check out all the details and see the image in full size at igpoty here.

But wait, there is more!

Also John Pettigrew made it among the finalists in the wildlife in the garden category with an image taken with X-T30 and XF55-200 (image below).

Hey Mr. Polin… are you really sure about that Fuji, LOL? ;)